Quake cleanup delays reactor core checks

Tokyo Electric Power Co. may not be able to begin reactor core checks of its quake-hit nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture until September because it needs to clean up contamination inside one of the seven reactors and remedy other safety woes, company officials said Monday.

In addition to repairing the damage, the utility must also solve a host of problems that emerged after the magnitude-6.8 quake hit the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant July 16, including an inadequate fire-extinguishing system and uncertainty over the plant’s ability to withstand earthquakes like the one that struck along the fault the complex apparently sits on.


Restarting the world’s largest atomic power complex before the August peak power demand period is not expected.

A prolonged suspension may in turn cause other problems, including an increased release of carbon dioxide from thermal power plants Tepco will have to restart to make up for the shortfall.

To check the core contained in the reactor pressure vessel, Tepco said it must remove radioactive water believed to have leaked from a pool for storing spent fuel rods. Some of the water flowed into the nearby sea.

Japan Times